The School of Civil Engineering and Surveying
Ms Amanda Thomas
Senior Lecturer
School of Civil Engineering & Surveying
Portland Building, Portland Street, Portsmouth PO1 3AH
Profile
Academic Qualifications
BSc (Architecture); Dip Arch; RIBA; DipSIAD; FHEA
Professional Affiliations/ Memberships
RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects)
ARB (Architects Registration Board)
CSD (Chartered Society of Designers)
FHEA (Higher Education Academy)
Teaching Interests
Belief that students should be exposed to the excitement of industry, of leading edge research, and engagement in extending the frontiers of knowledge and scholarship in their subjects. Currently researching the role of the Design Studio as a catalyst to design for non-design cognate commissioners of the built environment.
Research Interests
Issues that address the contemporary challenges of sustainability and regeneration, which have a major impact upon the ways in which we build; developers are having to face up to the new way of working that must surely emerge from the current economic climate. The commercial design of property is feeling the impact of technology; currently focused on the responses that the property industry will have to make, exploring new avenues that will direct the future of property design and development.
Industry Experience
Professional qualifications include architecture, landscape architecture, and interior design and experience encompasses retail, leisure, residential, and commercial development design.
20 years experience as architect and director, designing and delivering significant award-winning projects for some of the most prestigious blue chip companies and governments both in the UK and Europe, notably in Paris, Vienna, Prague, London and Strasbourg.
Architect Director at BDG McColl (WPP Group), followed by Director at Sutton Griffin Architects, and latterly Capita Percy Thomas. Work has been published in several international architectural publications.
Speaker at international conferences in the UK and Paris (CNCC) and Berlin (ICSC). Extensive experience public consultation and stakeholder groups, Plc boards, Councils, etc on large scale development projects both in the UK and overseas.
National CNCC Conference Nationale des Centres Commerciels, Paris : British/French Retail Design, Development, Commercial & Cultural Impact (in French!)
ICSC (International Council Shopping Centres and Commercial Development) Berlin : Global Design Issues
Commissions/Publications
Advisor to London Borough of Southwark on brief formulation for Sports and Leisure facilities; brief formulation for new town hall/civic centre; early stages of £160m international leisure, retail, & commercial project liaison at Government level.SUTTON GRIFFIN ARCHITECTS Director : London
Board Director heading up the London office
Mixed portfolio of commercial, mixed-use development, residential, and interiors.
Cross-section of portfolio/projects as follows:
Urban Regeneration :Recognised the ‘broken heart’ of Kingston town centre, and created the project by taking concept proposals for £200m development urban regeneration scheme in Kingston-Upon-Thames to Hammerson (client) and Kingston Borough Council. Responsible for instigating the commercial redevelopment of Kingston town centre, gaining the confidence of both Kingston City Council and Hammerson Plc in agreement to develop design proposals for the regeneration of the heart of Kingston
Residential: £10m conversion of Daks Simpson factory warehouse to 100 residential units and office/studio space in Hackney for private developer client.
Newbury Town Centre regeneration: major scheme development for private developer client.
Interiors : Competition winning design for Pegasus Bar & Restaurant for the Royal Society of the Inner Temple (barristers) London.
Competition winning design for national development of Institute of Directors/Stonemartin Bars/Restaurants.
George St W1 Studios and offices for international Fashion
Regents Park W1 Interior of listed building offices for headquarters of British Land
London W1 various Private residential projects on the doorstep of the office in W1
BDG McCOLL London Director
Commercial retail and leisure Director of Architecture, leading design section
Retail & Mixed Use Urban Regeneration : Princesshay Exeter: First appointed by Exeter City Council to carry out urban design studies. Recognised potential and ‘created’ project with JD by taking concept proposals for £250m regeneration scheme to Land Securities. Developed design & led design team to planning submission working with client body and Exeter City Council, RFA/CABE, English Heritage etc. Together with LandSecurities, interviewed and selected team of individual architectural practices to collaborate on the site: Chapman Taylor, Wilkinson Eyre, and Panter Hudspith.
Retail & Urban Regeneration : Running parallel to the Exeter project, developed the scheme for the Grand Arcade redevelopment, again from its inception in 1994, unlocking the retail heart of Cambridge. Working initially on behalf of the city council, in liaison with John Lewis Partnership, took the developers on board, taking the architectural team through the planning process to detailed planning approval. £80m city centre development, Grand Arcade, Cambridge delivered by Chapman Taylor and Sir Colin Stansfield Smith.
Retail & Leisure Regeneration Design : Strasbourg : Selected in international competition as architect and advisor to Antonio Gregotti (GregottiAssociatti, Milan) for retail & leisure sector to new city quarter in Strasbourg. Appointed by Mayor of Strasbourg, City Authorities, Vittorio Greggotti, Urban Masterplanner (Milan), Espace Expansion (private developer, Paris) to marry concept & commercial design.
Retail & Leisure Design : Carre Senart, Paris : appointed by Espace Expansion for Architectural Design and advisor to M. Jean-Paul Viguer, signature architect, for design concept and commercial design when his relations with client had collapsed.
Mixed Use/Regeneration Design : Gasometer City Vienna : Architectural design of commercial retail and leisure centre and appointed by developer as advisor to Jean Nouvel, Coop Himme(l)blau, and Ortner & Ortner, for retail & leisure/mixed use development and restoration of historic structures to contemporary leisure/retail/residential. Appointed by client to marry complex concept and commercial design. Co-ordinated team of international architects.
Retail & Leisure : Pirelli, Turin & Milan : Architect for international Competition winning concept design for retail/leisure/sports developments for Pirelli, Milan to be developed across Italian cities
Guadalajara Mexico : Retail & Leisure Design & Regeneration Masterplanning : Invited and appointed by Architect Wolf Prix (Coop Himmelb(l)au) : Design Consultant to (Coop Himme(l)blau) for retail/leisure/technology sector for competition winning scheme. Guadalajara is a development of 7 buildings by world-renowned architects Philip Johnson, Jean Nouvel, Zaha Hadid
Retail & Leisure : Bluewater Park. Appointed by LendLease to undertake design evaluation and retail design review of West Village and malls following completion by others. Construction work on South Village, water gardens, and leisure site.
Parc Hostavar Prague : Retail & Leisure design review of traditional shopping centre. Appointed by client to review and evaluate design by others.
Interiors :
Barbican Arts Centre London : Competition winning design for refurbishment of hospitality/public areas. Appointed by John Tusa in his first years at the Barbican. Other appointments followed at the Art galleries and restaurants.
Searcy’s at the Barbican London : Restaurant/Bar design for chef Richard Corrigan. Concept to completion. Design published in World Architecture.
Corrigan at Lindsay House : Restaurant design for Richard Corrigan’s Georgian townhouse restaurant in Soho, London. Concept to completion
Other Personal Interests
Challenges of sustainability in the built environment and the response of the design and commissioning professions.